NAPP Image of the Week 1.10.13

Pete’s been a little sick lately but that didn’t keep him from judging this week’s images. Topping the list is Adam Weatherly’s portrait Daisy May 8months. It’s a simple photo with great lighting and great post processing. The portrait does what all good portraits do, it captured the eyes in crisp focus and it connects you with the subject emotionally. Pete even said the eyes make this portrait. The rich blacks and bright whites make the tonal range complete and the composition is great as well. Nice work!

Another strong black and white image is Harley Tank by julianbphotography. Maybe it’s because we’re fresh out of the Christmas season, but Pete thought the tank looked like an ornament and the bokeh made the background look like Christmas lights. Again the strong, rich black and white contrast covering the entire tonal range makes this a great image. The angle and perspective are not typical and that helps the composition to be interesting.

Chad Branton pulled off a wonderfully designed piece called Family Adventure. It’s obviously a composite but the attention to detail is impressive and holds the design together with the consistent treatment of the post-processing. The retro style is great and even the lighting on the headline text is well handled.

360kim360 is a great designer making a return appearance on our pages with a new piece called SuperDog. The super-realistic post processing fits the mood of the fantasy piece perfectly. Pete called it a fun, vibrant composite and said the expression makes it. I asked him if he meant the kid’s smile and look, he said, “and the dog too! The both have perfect expressions.”

Finally, Matt Dickenson’s portrait of a nearly bald, beautiful model called flutterby.jpg deserves recognition for a number of reasons. It’s well composed and well lit. The eyes are sharp and draw you into th image and Pete noticed and liked the “3 theme.” Three rings, three dots by the eye, and 3 beads on the earring.